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Wooden Tower
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Just a few hundred meters north of the
Zhangye Hotel looms the 31-metre-tall Mu Ta(Wooden Tower).
It is unknown in exactly which year the pagoda was erected,
but people generally believe it was during the Northern
Zhou Dynasty (557-581 AD). After this it underwent renovations
in the Sui (581-618 AD), the Tang (618-907 AD), the Ming
(1368-1644 AD) and the Qing (1644-1911 AD) Dynasties. The
Muta is considered to be the one most harmonious pagodas
in China, incorporating as it does careful carpentry, exquisite
blacksmith work and delicate painting.
The existing 32.8m-tall pagoda, rebuilt in 1926, is a nine-storey
octagonal construction. On each storey, there are eight
wood carved dragon heads, bead in mouth and bell below neck.
The entire structure is made of wood, with the inner walls
paved by hollow bricks for strength. What makes the pagoda
so special is that the fact that there is not a nail or
rivet within. From the top storey of the pagoda, you'll
get a bird's view of the whole city. Nowadays the pagoda,
apart from having historically important architecture, also
serves as a museum displaying the town folk's customs.
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